INVESTIGATIONS

COURSE GLOSSARY
aberration:

a departure from rational thought or behavior; irrational thought or conduct. It means basically to err, to make mistakes, or more specifically to have fixed ideas which are not true. The word is also used in its scientific sense. It means departure from a straight line. If a line should go from A to B, then if it is aberrated it would go from A to some other point, to some other point, to some other point, to some other point, to some other point, and finally arrive at B. Taken in this sense, it would also mean the lack of straightness or to see crookedly as, for example, a man sees a horse but thinks he sees an elephant. Aberrated conduct would be wrong conduct, or conduct not supported by reason. Aberration is opposed to sanity, which would be its opposite. From the Latin, aberrare, to wander from; Latin, ab, away, errare, to wander.

’is ’at:

a pronunciation of his hat in the cockney dialect. Cockney refers to certain long-established London residents, particularly those of the East End of London, and to the dialect of English spoken by them since at least the sixteenth century.

artisan:

a skilled worker who makes things by hand.

astern, go full:

to turn the propellers of a ship in a reverse direction at full speed, so as to come to a full stop (when the ship has been moving forward). Astern comes from a, meaning to and stern, meaning the rear part of a ship. A large ship moving at a speed equivalent to 20 miles per hour (32 kilometers per hour) takes about 2,400 feet (732 meters) to stop (nearly 2/3 of a mile, or 1 kilometer) in approximately 4 minutes. A ship has no brakes so must reverse the propellers in order to come to a stop. This maneuver may be used if a ship is in danger of colliding with something, such as another ship.

beat one’s brains:

think very hard in order to understand something; labor strenuously with the mind.

blow:

a blowing of the wind, which could range from a mild blow with wind speeds of about 35 miles per hour (50 kilometers per hour) to much stronger winds with speeds as high as about 60 miles per hour (90 kilometers per hour).

boils down to:

amounts to; comes down to; is able to be simplified or summarized as. The phrase boil down to refers to the action in cooking of boiling something that is partly liquid so that much of it evaporates, so reducing it to a more concentrated form.

called-up:

summoned for active military duty.

capitalize (upon):

take advantage of; turn something to one’s advantage.

cart-before-the-horse:

of or relating to the expression put the cart before the horse, deal with matters in an incorrect or reverse order, as because of illogical reasoning.

casting about:

looking around (mentally), as in trying to figure something out, resolve a question, etc.

cause(s):

a principle which is strongly supported by some people. A wretched cause is a cause that is promoted by some as being vitally necessary but that brings only death and destruction, as for example a war or any similar situation in which many people suffer.

chromium-plated:

overlaid with a coating of chromium, a glossy, fairly soft, gray metal that resists corrosion and becomes bright and shiny when polished. Chromium plating has been used on many different items including automobile accessories to give a bright, modern appearance. Used figuratively to describe something that has an attractive surface layer but that is not as modern and advanced as it appears.

claps:

places or puts, especially with haste or energy.

codify:

arrange and classify, especially laws, into an organized, comprehensible system.

coin, other side of the:

the other aspect or point of view of something. This phrase comes from the fact that a coin has two sides, usually with a different appearance on each.

commodity:

something of use, advantage or value.

communication line:

the route along which a communication travels from one person to another.

confront:

to face without flinching or avoiding. The ability to confront is actually the ability to be there comfortably and perceive.

confronted:

had in one’s way, as a problem, difficulty, etc.

credible:

capable of being believed or accepted (as true).

dean:

the senior member of the academic staff of a school who also has administrative duties.

death camp:

a concentration camp to which the inmates have been sent to be executed. Such camps stemmed from the beliefs of German psychologist Wilhelm Wundt (1832–1920), who founded the first institute of experimental psychology at Leipzig University, Germany (1879) and who widely promoted the idea that since Man’s soul could not be measured with scientific instruments, it obviously did not exist, thus Man was simply another animal. It was around this time, at the end of the nineteenth century and beginning of the twentieth century, that psychiatrists developed the deadly hoax of “eugenics” (the supposed improvement of the human race by allowing only those people considered superior to have children). This in turn led to Hitler’s idea of a German master race destined to rule all other peoples. By the end of World War II (1939–1945), psychiatrists were responsible for the death of millions, many of whom died in Nazi death camps as a result of cruel “medical” experiments.

delusory:

of the nature of a delusion; false; unreal.

dilettante:

one who interests himself in an art or science merely as a pastime and without serious aim or study.

disinformation:

false information, as about a country’s military strength or plans, publicly announced or planted in the news media, especially of other countries.

dispelling:

making (a doubt, feeling or belief) disappear.

dub-in:

presume or have a false, delusory perception of. Dub-in is a term used to characterize vision or recall which is imaginary. The term comes from the motion-picture industry. To “dub,” in moviemaking, is to create and add sounds to a picture after filming is complete. This process (“dubbing”) results in a fabricated soundtrack that seems to the audience like it actually took place when filmed. But in fact, much, or all of it, was created in the studio long after filming was finished, and was then “dubbed in.” Hence, dub-in is something put there that seems like it happened, but in reality it did not.

East Germany:

former republic of central Europe, formed in 1949 after World War II. East Germany was established when the former country of Germany was split into West Germany and East Germany. East Germany was ruled by a communist government and later became a key part of the Soviet group of nations.

edges:

moves gradually sideways.

faculty:

one of the powers of the mind, as memory, reason or speech.

fell prey:

became harmed or affected by; became vulnerable to or overcome by. Prey literally means an animal that is eaten by another animal as food.

forbidding:

unfriendly or threatening.

formidable:

difficult to deal with; requiring great skill to overcome; challenging.

freighter:

a large ship for carrying goods from one place to another.

General Sherman tank:

a tank of the United States armed forces, as well as French and English forces, in World War II (1939–1945). It was named after William Tecumseh Sherman (1820–1891), a famous general in the American Civil War (1861–1865). General Sherman tank is also used figuratively in reference to the real reason behind a situation, or somebody who is trying to stop things.

go bust:

fail completely.

grave:

very serious.

green:

lacking training or experience.

Hitler:

Adolf Hitler (1889–1945), German political leader of the twentieth century who dreamed of creating a master race that would rule for a thousand years as the third German Empire. Taking over rule of Germany by force in 1933 as a dictator, he began World War II (1939–1945), subjecting much of Europe to his domination and murdering millions of Jews and others considered “inferior.” He committed suicide in 1945 when Germany’s defeat was imminent.

ideal:

excellent or perfect; also, something that is an excellent example.

ideology:

the doctrines, opinions or way of thinking of an individual, class, etc.; specifically, the body of ideas on which a particular political, economic or social system is based.

illogic(s):

something that is not sensible or reasonable.

industry:

energetic application and devotion of oneself to a task or work.

innate:

relating to qualities that a person is born with.

insofar:

to the degree that; to such an extent that.

intelligence:

of or pertaining to the gathering, distribution and evaluation of information, especially secret information about an enemy or potential enemy.

juggle:

move or adjust the data, information, etc., that one is dealing with. Literally, juggling means adjusting one’s grip or how one is standing in order to balance objects being held.

know-how:

the practical ability and knowledge necessary to do something well.

Leipzig University:

a German university founded in 1409 in the city of Leipzig in east-central Germany. In the late 1800s, modern psychology and the false doctrine that Man is no more than an animal were developed there by Wilhelm Wundt (1832–1920), German psychologist and physiologist (specialist in the study of the functions of physical, living things and the ways in which their parts and organs work).

lens hood(s):

a tube-shaped shade made of metal or rubber, placed around a camera lens to shield it from unwanted light. The lens of a camera lets light into the camera in order to take a picture. Under certain conditions, however, a light source can hit the lens incorrectly, causing unwanted light to hit the film. To avoid this a lens hood can be placed around the lens.

lieutenant:

one of the lowest-ranking officers in the army or navy, who gains his rank by graduation from a military or naval academy.

logic:

the subject of or ability to reason; the combination of different factors into an answer.

lot:

one’s fortune in life; fate.

Lycurgus:

(ca. 800s b.c.) a Spartan legislator who is said to have established the government that made Sparta the great military power of ancient Greece.

millennium:

a period of 1,000 years.

minister(s):

a senior member of the government, as in the United Kingdom, who is in charge of a government department or a branch of one.

Murgatroyd, Mr.:

a made-up name.

nutshell, in a:

in a few words; concisely.

officialdom:

officials as a class or as a body.

opened the door:

created an opportunity for; provided the means of getting or reaching something.

outness:

a condition or instance of something being wrong, incorrect or missing.

outpoint:

any one of several specific ways in which a relay of information or a situation can become illogical; any one datum offered as true that is in fact found to be illogical.

philosophic:

of or relating to that branch of knowledge or study (philosophy) devoted to the systematic examination of basic concepts such as truth, existence, reality and freedom.

pluspoint:

any one of several conditions which exist when a situation or circumstance is logical. Pluspoints show where logic exists and where things are going right or likely to.

pompousness:

the quality or condition of being pompous, characterized by an exaggerated display of self-importance or dignity.

PR:

an abbreviation for public relations, the practice or profession of establishing, maintaining, or improving a favorable relationship between an institution or person and the public.

present time:

the time which is now and which becomes the past almost as rapidly as it is observed. It is a term loosely applied to the environment existing in now.

pretense:

something that gives a false show or claim and so deceives others.

proffered:

presented for consideration or acceptance; suggested as a proposal.

propaganda:

information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular cause or point of view.

provoke:

cause or bring about.

rationalize:

interpret or explain from a rational (reasonable) standpoint.

reconcile:

to make two or more apparently conflicting things consistent or compatible; bring into agreement or harmony.

regime:

a form of government or rule; political system.

regiment:

a permanent military unit usually consisting of several thousand soldiers.

sacks:

dismisses or fires someone from a job.

school:

a group of fish of a single type.

Scientology:

Scientology is a practical religion dealing with the study of knowledge, which through application of its technology can bring about desirable changes in the conditions of life. It was developed over a third of a century by L. Ron Hubbard. The term Scientology is taken from the Latin word scio (knowing, in the fullest meaning of the word) and the Greek word logos (study of). Scientology is further defined as the study and handling of the spirit in relationship to itself, universes and other life.

scores:

a great many. From the word score, meaning twenty.

sergeant:

a junior level officer in the US Army, Air Force or Marine Corps and often in charge of training the troops.

Sherlock (Holmes):

Sherlock Holmes, a fictional English detective of the nineteenth century, created by English author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859–1930). Holmes’s extraordinary powers of observation, memory and deduction through purely scientific reasoning enabled him to identify criminals and solve mysteries in cases that had left all other detectives baffled. He often explains his reasoning to his partner and best friend, Dr. Watson, who is also the narrator of the stories.

Sparta:

a city in ancient Greece famous for its military power.

strategy:

The term “strategy” is derived from the Greek words strategos, which means “general,” stratos, which means “army,” agein, meaning “to lead.” Strategy refers to a plan for the overall conduct of a war or sector of it.

stuff in trade:

a variation of stock in trade, any resources, practices or devices characteristically employed by a given person or group.

surefire:

sure to work; foolproof.

tactics:

the methods of employing troops, ships, aircraft, etc., in a combat, usually in reference to short-range objectives.

technology:

the methods of application of an art or science as opposed to mere knowledge of the science or art itself. In Scientology, the term technology refers to the methods of application of Scientology principles to improve the functions of the mind and rehabilitate the potentials of the spirit, developed by L. Ron Hubbard.

terminal:

anything that can receive, relay or send a communication. This term comes from the field of electronics where a terminal is one of two fixed points between which a flow of energy travels. An example of this is a car battery which has two connecting posts (terminals) where energy flows from one post to the other. In Scientology, two people communicating are called terminals because communication flows between them.

theoretical:

based on or related to theory or theories, proposed explanations whose status is not fully proven as fact.

toes, on (one’s):

alert; ready.

unwittingly:

unknowingly; unconsciously; without awareness.

valve:

any device in a pipe or tube that regulates the flow of a liquid or gas, as for example the valve regulating the flow of steam in an engine room. Such steam is produced under extremely high pressures and is very hot. If a valve breaks in such a steam line, the line must be shut off immediately to ensure that the hot, pressurized steam does not escape through the broken valve, which could severely burn anyone nearby.

wherein:

in which (matter, fact, etc.).

Why:

reason or cause; the real reason for a positive or nonoptimum situation.

win:

the accomplishment of any desired improvement. Examples of wins would be a person increasing his ability to communicate, experiencing an increased feeling of well-being or gaining more certainty about some area of his life.

-wise:

a word ending used to mean concerning or related to a particular thing, as in “subjectwise,” relating to a subject.

wretched:

extremely bad or unpleasant, miserable.